Norris, Pickens and Central only spots with contested elections this fall

The filing deadline has passed for this fall’s municipal elections around Pickens County, and Liberty Mayor Eric Boughman has decided to let someone else have his job.

Boughman didn’t file to run for another term as mayor. He cited the public uproar over this summer’s moves to merge the city’s fire department into the Liberty Rural district, create fire fees and increase water and sewer fees by double digits as big factors in his decision.

“I love Liberty and I have a servant’s heart, but you can’t win with so many negative people constantly pounding you down,” Boughman told the Independent Mail last week. "But I'd have to say that a lot of that negativity was not even from people who live in the city limits; it was people on Facebook and online. I feel like the city overall supported what we did and where Liberty is going now."

Boughman and City Administrator Shirley Hughes repeatedly defended the changes as necessary to shore up the city’s finances after years of neglect by previous councils. Hughes stated publicly that city sewers and other capital would require over $26 million in maintenance or replacement over the next several years.

Hughes, a municipal administrator with over 40 years of experience, was hired by Boughman and the city council last year to take over the city's deficit-ridden books and plan to tackle those maintenance needs. He credited her with putting the city on the right financial path.

"I believe hiring Shirley was the best decision that's ever been made in the city of Liberty ... I have learned so much from her since last August," said Boughman, who was elected in 2013.

Retired businessman Dan Parsons and current city councilman Brian Petersen are running to succeed Boughman. Petersen did not respond to interview requests, but Parsons was willing to speak about his candidacy.

Liberty City Councilman Brian Petersen(Photo: City of Liberty)

“I think Liberty needs a change,” said Parsons. “I’m not going to say anything bad about anybody, but I believe the town is for the people and not so much for collecting money.”

Parsons did not criticize Boughman or Petersen over the recent budget moves, saying he wouldn’t rule out raising the town’s millage or increasing fees because he said he wouldn’t “box myself into a corner” should future budget problems necessitate such action.

The former printing company and furniture shop owner did rule out one future hike.

“I’m not going to raise the water fees, because we need to take everyone into account and we have old people on fixed incomes who might not be able to afford higher bills,” Parsons said.